While I was traveling over the past month, a couple of astute fans contacted me after discovering a Breaking the World Easter egg dating all the way back to 2015.

Maurice Broaddus and I were co-editing an urban fantasy anthology, Streets of Shadows, at the time. I was working with a terrific Australian artist, Rhys Griffiths, on the wraparound cover. When Rhys pitched the idea of a rundown movie theater, I couldn’t resist having a little fun.

I directed Rhys to include Maurice’s first novel, King Maker, on the marquee alongside an unpublished first novel I was writing at the time. Maurice likened the move to a baseball player calling his shot. Three years later, that wrap-around cover sports both our first novels, which never fails to make me smile.

And, yeah, that’s us on the cover too. Maurice with his sword and me backing him up with a gun.